Thousands of learners across the City of Ekurhuleni are being left in the dark after the municipality launched an aggressive credit control campaign, cutting electricity to public schools due to the Gauteng Department of Education’s (GDE) failure to settle outstanding municipal accounts.
The city recently confirmed its intention to disconnect power to at least 189 schools that have fallen behind on payments. While both the metro and the GDE have remained silent on the matter, information gathered indicates that several schools in Boksburg have already been affected.
These include Dromedaris Primary School, Hoedehoop Primary School, Lakeside Primary School, and Reiger Park High School.
The newly launched Oos Rand Commerce and Entrepreneurship School of Specialisation and Reiger Park Primary School still have electricity, but they have also received disconnection notices.
According to one such notice, arrears at one of the schools exceed R235 000. Further final notices have recently been issued to schools across Boksburg, Benoni, Alberton, Brakpan, Edenvale, Kempton Park, Nigel, and Springs.
Lakeside Primary School administration block.
Germiston has emerged as the worst-affected area, with schools collectively owing the metro more than R28m. Across all the affected areas, total outstanding debt exceeds R110.3m. The department was already in arrears by more than R24m in 2024.
Many of the affected institutions fall within Quintiles 1 to 3, serving learners from low-income households. The department has reportedly struggled with consistent monthly payments, with arrears accumulating over time.
A source at one of the affected schools in Reiger Park said some schools have experienced reductions in their state allocations, leaving them unable to cover electricity and other municipal services.
The source pointed out that one of the schools in Reiger Park recently received around R100 000, which falls significantly short of covering its operational expenses and municipal obligations.
DA condemns school power cuts, demands urgent restorationThe DA in Ekurhuleni has visited several affected schools in Reiger Park, describing the disconnections as ‘a direct assault on children’s education.’
“The coalition government has switched off electricity because the provincial government failed to pay the bills. Learners cannot learn in the dark, and schools cannot function without power.
This shows a lack of concern for our children’s future,” the party said in a statement.
“The DA will fight this in council and demand the immediate restoration of power. Our children deserve better than political failure and excuses.”
Attempts to obtain comment from GDE spokesperson Steve Mabona and metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini were unsuccessful at the time of publication. Calls went unanswered, and emailed questions were not acknowledged.
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Petition launched over proposed school budget cutsMeanwhile, the DA had, prior to these disconnections, launched a petition opposing a reported 64% reduction in budgets for Gauteng Quintile 5 schools, expected to take effect on April 1, 2026.
The party warns that the cuts could result in steep fee increases and reduced resources. The DA is calling on affected parents to support the petition, arguing that the cuts target functioning schools during an ongoing cost-of-living crisis and risk destabilising school operations.
“We, the undersigned parents, guardians and residents of Gauteng, demand the immediate reversal of the 64% cut to school budgets affecting Quintile 5 public schools from April 1, 2026,” the petition states.
According to the party, the cuts were implemented without a proper impact assessment and at a time when many households are already under financial strain.
The DA warns the reductions will:• Force schools to increase fees beyond what many parents can afford• Reduce classroom resources, learner support, and extracurricular activities• Undermine safety, maintenance, and basic operations• Push more families to seek fee exemptions while schools lose funding
The party also argues that many Quintile 5 schools no longer serve traditionally affluent communities, as demographic shifts have changed the socio-economic realities of these areas.Parents, it says, are being treated as ‘soft targets,’ expected to absorb budget shortfalls the department has failed to address elsewhere.
Key demandsThe DA is calling on the Portfolio Committees on Education and Finance to urgently intervene by:• Halting the proposed 64% budget cuts• Releasing any impact assessment conducted• Explaining why MGSLG funding was prioritised over classroom needs• Reviewing school quintile classifications to reflect current realities• Prioritising learners over political spending
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